Water cooler



H. K. PINKERTON ET AL 1,833,885

Nov. 24, 1931.

WATER COOLER Filed Nov. 22, 1926 I II I I W1 IIIII HM! INVENTORS vq flowamflTPM/rerfan "i /freeman L/Fhgndrcss.

I ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 24, 1931 UNITED STAT-E PAT-{E NT" GFFIC HOWARD K; PINKERTON" A ND' FREEMA'N' I RHMNDRESS, OF CITY, MISSOURI? SAID PINKERTON- ASSIGNOR T'O W. H. FRAZELIQ-J' R D F KANSAS CITY',.MISSOUBI? wA'rEnoooLER Application filed November 22, 1926. Serial No. 150,051;

@ur invention'relate's-tb water coolers and more particularly. to an improved" cooling tank for water wherein refrigeration coils limited tothe capacity ofthe coils carry" ing' the water.. Thevrel atively" small supp of cooled water in. the coils'is SOOIlGXhiLIlStGdf.

when demand isflheavy, and the water with- =drawn thereafter: issues in an insufficiently cooled: condition because of its rapid passage through the coils which offer small cooling surfaces to such water, saidsurf'aces being inadequately cooled by the secondary o coolingmedium. r I

It is the purpose ofour invention to pro-' vide a water cooling tankin which coils carrying the refrigerant are in direct contact with the'water'to be cooled, so that thewater 1 directly cooled, a large quantity of cooled" water isavailable for unusual demand, uncooled water introduced to' replace volume of cooled WELtGIL withdrawn rests in the tank in proximity to'therefr-igerant coils and rela- '=tive1y'c1istant fromthe cooled water available for withdrawal and must pass among said refrigerant coils before being withdrawn, whereby efiicient production of the required amount ofadequately. cooled water is attained, together with saving in operat,

ing costs.

Another purpose of our invention is to provide a cooler' in-which the refrigeration as means and particularly such: means as we propose, is readily accessible for inspection and repair, and that may be inspectedand repaired without" removal of'the same." from the tank.

463 In accomplishing these and other objects" of'the invention we have providediimproved details of structure, wherein':

Fig, I is a sectional perspective view of a cooler embodying 'our invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevational View of the Heretofore in-coolers of this type the cooler, a part ofthe cover being 'brol ienaway V to expose the refrigeration coils]; a p Referring more in detail to the drawings by numerals of referencez'. I p w -1 designatesa tank of cylindrical form comprising a-sidewall Q, end 3"and cover4..'

The end rispreferably convex inform toprovide strength, and liasa d pending peripheral fiangefi to receive the cylindrical side wall2 which is preferablywelded'there' toasat6; The cover f ofth'etan'li' 1 comprisescja' cir cul'ar plate of substantially larger diameter than thecylindricaliwall portion of the tank to provide a flange 7 having aseriesof openings 8- therein. Anann'u'lar angle Slispro; vided, adapted to encircle the wall portion oppositely-of the'end 3", andha'v-ihg. a flange lQ-welded'to the'sidekwall as a't fll", the other flan e 12 of said angle 9" having a series of openings 13 adapted to aligni with-the s'rnaller openings 8 ofthe cover flange 7i p The cover is secured 'to; thea'ngle '9-by bolts 14 which, extend through the openings and? 13; of cover 4:" and angle flan e-12, the" joint beingv sealed bya gasket l '5 torprevent leakage fr'om thetank; p q Reinforcement meansus providedto' assist the tank withstanding city water-pressure, comprising an angle bar" 16" positioned on and coextensive-with a diameter of the cover. 4 exte'riorly thereofand which is preferablyv riveted thereto," a rod 17." disposed axially" of" the tank and projectingthroughsaid cover and "saidanglebar 16" and-l'thr'ough' said 3$ d h i l'g. a ead 13". ngagi g..t e end 3 and being secured by the nut' 19 that engages the angle bar lfi. Lock nuts 20*and 21 are provided at" tank cover and tank; end regions of the rodf for." additionally rela't mg the rod'to cover and endrespectively'and j forst'rengthenin'g purposes. 7 I V V p The tank is provided about midway 'of" its cylindrical" side wall and the top portion thereof witli water inlet" o'pening"2 2 an'd' inlet coupling-'2"3 associated withzsaid open ing and preferably welded to -the* wall; said coupling being threaded to receive 1 an inlet? pipe 24 connected? with the water" service:

The tank is provided witha water (muse ,7 opening 25positioned in an opposite or bottom portion of the wall 2 approximately on a line of said wall marked by projections of a line from the inlet opening through the axis of the cylindrical side wall. An outlet coupling 26 isprovidedpreferably welded to the tank and adapted to enter inwardly of the V tank to form a guard for preventing sediment from entering the outlet pipe. The coupling is threaded to receive the outlet pipe '27 which connects the tank to the means of;

delivering the cooled water to the users.

An air-vent 28 is provided, and positioned in the side wall adjacent the inlet and adapt ed for permitting the air to'escape from the tank while the tank is being filled; and closed when the tank has been filled.

.A refrigeration unit is provided, contained within" the tank, which may be of any desired type or make and is here shown as comprising a receiving manifold 29 positioned between the inlet and outlet openings and across the path of water flowing from the inlet to the outlet,and provided with a series of expansion coils 30 extending toward the'outlet and having a circumferential flange 31 provided with openings 32 for receivingbolts 33 by which the unit maybe attached to the cover removal of accumulation of sediment from the tank without disturbance of the cover.

Our device. as thus constructed, provides therefore a refrigeration unit supported within the tank and indirect contact with the water to be cooled, the unit supported by the cover of the tank, a minimum of parts and elements being in contact with said water as a result of which condition contamination of the water is avoided, the direct cooling of the large volume of water that fillsthe tank resulting in the ability of the device to provide'an ample supply of adequately cooled water at any time and to cool incoming water adequately before said water is demanded for withdrawal.

Economy 1n operation results from efficient use of the refrigerant; and also from the fact that wastage is avoided such asoccurs in devlces from which water of temperature unsatisfactory to the user may frequently issue.

A further economy in operationis represented in the factor of safety from freezing of the water to be cooled, which our device provides, In ordinary cooling devices using refrigeration coils a body of water is cooled by such coils, and cools the pipescarrying the drinking water that is to be used, the

cooled pipes cooling the drinking water. In such devices, the refrigerating coils may freeze the intermediary Water medium when the drinking water is stationary in the container of the drinking water, namely, the said pipes, for a considerable period; and through such conducting medium exert freezing inbursting of the cooling pipes. In our de vice, any freezing influence of the refrigerat 'ing unit, however prolonged, will not cause the bursting of the containerv of the drinking water; because the source of freezing,,the refrigerating coils, is positioned around the axis of the body of drinking water being cooled,'they freezingit, if at all, from center towards circumference, whereby the expansion of the body of drinking water, in freez 1 ing, has outlet through the body of water to the inlet and through such inlet to and upon the water in the pipes supplying" the tank; the expansion causing merely back-pressure, for example, against the pressure of city water system. g

While we have described and are claiming a particular construction and'form. we wish to be understood as claiming also adaptations thereof and incidental, accessories thereto that may be suggested by ordinary knowledge andskilh for example, the insulation,1as

with cork, of the tank; the transmission of a fluid cooled in such a tank; therelating to the tank and its contents of other factors to receive its influence, and the like.

It is'obvious that liquids other than water may be refrigerated by the same construetion; and that incidental arrangements may be installed to care for mechanical problems, such as a deflector or baffle to retard the passage of the incoming water as the cooled wa-' ter is withdrawn; or for the same'purpose the inlet 'may be provided with an elbow and horizontal pipes having superior open ings for direction of the inflow upwardly and distantly from the outlet.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a water cooler, a horizontally elon gated water tank having a centraltop inlet and a central bottom outlet, a removable cover-closing one end of the tank having an opening adjacent, the upper edge thereof, a cylindrical refrigeration manifold with in the tank having a flange forattaching the manifoldto the cover concentricallyof said opening for support adjacent the inlet,

and cooling coils extending from the manifold toward the outlet directly in the path of water flowing from the inlet to the outlet, said opening providing for admission of connections through the removable cover to the it manifold and for access to the interior of the manifold.

2. In a water cooler including a horizontal elongated water tank having a central top inlet and a central bottom outlet, a removable cover closing one end of the tank and having an opening adjacent the upper edge thereof, a cylindrical refrigeration manifold supported from the coverwithin V the tank longitudinally thereof and cooling coils spaced from the walls of the tank and from the axis thereof, the manifold and coils extending between the inlet and the outlet directly in the path of the water whereby water entering the inlet is forced to flow around the manifold and the coils to reach the outlet.

3. In a water cooler, a horizontally elongated Water tank having a top inlet and a bottom outlet, a cover closing one end of the tank having an opening adjacent the upper edge thereof, a manifold within the tank having a flange for attaching the manifold to the cover concentrically of said opening for support adjacent the inlet, and a cooling coil extending from the manifold toward the outlet directly in the path of water flowing from the inlet to the outlet.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

HOWARD KVPINKERTON. FREEMAN L. RHYNDRESS. 

